depression

i have been suffering from mild depression for the past 5/6 years. i am taking medicines as advised by phsuchiatrist for this and prove helpful. devoid of these drugs i cant lead a normal life.is taking drugs going to be life bound? can u advice some natural ways to fight depression?

I don't think taking drugs is something you'll have to keep doing forever. To be honest, although I feel that people CAN fix depression naturally or "on their own," the truth of the matter is.. due to the nature of depression.. how it makes you not want to do anything, and unable to enjoy anything, it's IMPOSSIBLE to fix it on your own without a push or some sort of help.

See your depression as being a disabling problem. That's what it is.

Now see the meds as being temporary; Crutches. You take them for a year or two, and during that time you realize how silly the whole depression thing is, and you "Fix up" your life.. and then you can slowly ween off them until you're stable enough to lead a "normal life" without them.

I find it funny how people refuse to take drugs because they feel they can fix depression their own. The silly thing is, I know they can fix it on their own. They also know HOW.. but at the same time we all know that when we're depressed, we can't do anything.. so why would we even make an effort to fix the problem? We won't.

I didn't. I was depressed for 10 years and literally just didn't do anything. Slept all day. Wasted my life. I knew 100% how to fix the depression, but I just didn't want to. Exercise? Socialize? Diets? A job? Friends? Yeah, they all work, but they're also impossible when you're depressed. Now I don't mind drugs. I love drugs. They fixed my life.

I went from 20K debt, low GPA, sleeping-all-day to 60K a year job that I LOVE, a new enthusiasm for math and my other classes, and new experiences everyday. I go places, I meet people, I do stuff that I would have normally said were "corny" when I was depressed. Drugs are great. I'll switch drugs every year or so, maybe, but I don't really want to get off them anytime soon. I will in a decade or so.. but for now I'll just enjoy my life.

i have been suffering from mild depression for the past 5/6 years. i am taking medicines as advised by phsuchiatrist for this and prove helpful. devoid of these drugs i cant lead a normal life.is taking drugs going to be life bound? can u advice some natural ways to fight depression?

Through counseling and diet I have been off meds for some time. To be honest, hard work is involved.

There are good natural treatments for depression. My advice is to build a good support system. Friends, therapist, groups, etc. Pushing through some of this is hard and support helps. Socializing is good even for short periods of time. Emotional intimacy is really important. Touch triggers the release of the bonding hormone oxytocin. Oxytocin reduces fear, increases trust, and makes people feel more social. It counters the effects of the stress hormone cortisol. Excess cortisol is thought to play a major role in depression.

You might want to browse through the book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John Ratey M.D. Exercise fights depression in many ways. I highly recommend it. I take fish oil and that works.

Some people are having success using one full night of sleep deprivation with antidepressants, light therapy, or adjusting sleep times. About half of depressed people who stay up all night feel better the next day. It lifted my depression almost completely although the effect did not last. The problem has been most people relapse when they go to sleep the following night. Combining it with other treatments helps maintain the effect for some.